[GreyArea]

Quote:

Thanks for all the info again guys!
 
So basically I am currently going to save money up for the Yulong D-100.
 
A few more questions though, how would I be able to hook up my Audioengine A5's to the Yulong D-100? Would I be able to switch off between amping through my speakers and through my JH5's?

Well, as for the Audioengine A5s, they're active bookshelf speakers so you can plug the DAC into them using an aforementioned RCA to 1/8 inch jack cable. Use the analogue out RCAs on the Yulong.
As for the JH5s, I'm not sure what you mean. What would you switch off? You could switch off your speakers because there'll be an on/off switch.
Although I'm not familiar with the Yulong, I'd imagine that the headphone jack outputs the same signal as the RCAs constantly while switched on. You'd unplug your JH5s when not listening.
 
 
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Elluzion /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Also, my JH5's are terminated to 1/8'', what would I need to convert to 1/4'' to fit the D-100?

 
 
A standard 1/8'' to 1/4'' converter is fine. Good ones are relatively inexpensive.
 
Looks like this:

 
 
Quote:

And just to double check, the best quality possible from my computer would be:

Computer - Coax/SPDIF whatev - Yulong D-100 - JH5's (and i would play my music through  foobar2000

Yep. Use the WASAPI driver in Foobar2k. I think it's a separate component you have to download. I've found that it sounds better.
 
 
Quote:

and for the mp3 the best quality possible would be

Cowon J3 - RCA cable to headphone out - JH5's right?

Nope. You don't need a cable between your JH5s and your mp3 player, surely your JH5s have a cable terminated with 1/8th inch.
 
I think you mean:
J3 - 1/8 to RCA - Yulong
This unfortunately WON'T work. I hadn't realised earlier but the Yulong does NOT have an analogue input to bypass the DAC and feed into the headphone amp.
You'll have to use your computer.
 
You could technically buy a Analogue to Digital (AD) converter to convert to something digital that would feed the DAC but it'd be complete overkill and probably wouldn't sound very good.
 
 
 
Quote:

Also, should the amp matter? Like if I get a tube vs. solid state? I will mainly be using the amp/dac with my computer and IEM jhaudio 5's, would it be better to get a tube or a hybrid over the Yulong-D100, cuz that one is solid state. Would it matter?

 
 
Long answer:
Well, if you were to get an additional headphone amp, you'd only use the Yulong as a DAC. As far as I know, DAC conversion is done using solid state components and tube DACs, if they exist, they only feature tubes to colour the sound after conversion.
So.... you're in the same position as everyone is when they've bought a stand-alone DAC and are in the market for a headphone amp. People try and find products that sound good together to balance out the sound sig of their setup. However, you need to decide what sound sig you want for your rig. Read up on different headphone amps to choose. Maybe go away and do some searching and come back with any questions you have. There are some decent discussions on tube vs. SS if you look hard enough.
 
Short answer:
No, it doesn't matter.
 

 

 

[Elluzion]

 
Quote:

Quote:

Thanks for all the info again guys!
 
So basically I am currently going to save money up for the Yulong D-100.
 
A few more questions though, how would I be able to hook up my Audioengine A5's to the Yulong D-100? Would I be able to switch off between amping through my speakers and through my JH5's?

Well, as for the Audioengine A5s, they're active bookshelf speakers so you can plug the DAC into them using an aforementioned RCA to 1/8 inch jack cable. Use the analogue out RCAs on the Yulong.
As for the JH5s, I'm not sure what you mean. What would you switch off? You could switch off your speakers because there'll be an on/off switch.
Although I'm not familiar with the Yulong, I'd imagine that the headphone jack outputs the same signal as the RCAs constantly while switched on. You'd unplug your JH5s when not listening.
 
 
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Elluzion /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Also, my JH5's are terminated to 1/8'', what would I need to convert to 1/4'' to fit the D-100?

 
 
A standard 1/8'' to 1/4'' converter is fine. Good ones are relatively inexpensive.
 
Looks like this:

 
 
Quote:

And just to double check, the best quality possible from my computer would be:
Computer - Coax/SPDIF whatev - Yulong D-100 - JH5's (and i would play my music through  foobar2000

Yep. Use the WASAPI driver in Foobar2k. I think it's a separate component you have to download. I've found that it sounds better.
 
 
Quote:

and for the mp3 the best quality possible would be
Cowon J3 - RCA cable to headphone out - JH5's right?

Nope. You don't need a cable between your JH5s and your mp3 player, surely your JH5s have a cable terminated with 1/8th inch.
 
I think you mean:
J3 - 1/8 to RCA - Yulong
This unfortunately WON'T work. I hadn't realised earlier but the Yulong does NOT have an analogue input to bypass the DAC and feed into the headphone amp.
You'll have to use your computer.
 
You could technically buy a Analogue to Digital (AD) converter to convert to something digital that would feed the DAC but it'd be complete overkill and probably wouldn't sound very good.
 
 
 
Quote:

Also, should the amp matter? Like if I get a tube vs. solid state? I will mainly be using the amp/dac with my computer and IEM jhaudio 5's, would it be better to get a tube or a hybrid over the Yulong-D100, cuz that one is solid state. Would it matter?

 
 
Long answer:
Well, if you were to get an additional headphone amp, you'd only use the Yulong as a DAC. As far as I know, DAC conversion is done using solid state components and tube DACs, if they exist, they only feature tubes to colour the sound after conversion.
So.... you're in the same position as everyone is when they've bought a stand-alone DAC and are in the market for a headphone amp. People try and find products that sound good together to balance out the sound sig of their setup. However, you need to decide what sound sig you want for your rig. Read up on different headphone amps to choose. Maybe go away and do some searching and come back with any questions you have. There are some decent discussions on tube vs. SS if you look hard enough.
 
Short answer:
No, it doesn't matter.
 

 

Wait, so if the Yulong wont amp my J3, I may consider a different amp, although my main reason for getting this amp was to listen HQ through my desktop computer and take advantage mainly of the DAC.
 
What would I need in an amp/dac to be able to hook up my J3 to it? The thing is that when I am home, I feel like I will care more about the SQ, so i'd be more likely to want a home setup.
Actually thinking about it, all I would want to amp would be my PC anyways, and this way I could connect the amp to my A5 speakers and also use it for gaming/music listening at home, if I want a portable amp dac like the Pico later, I could always get one
 
So short answer: I don't think this will affect my decision hahahaha, because my J3 and JH5's are already portable
 
so how do people normally connect mp3 players to home amps? is it even possible??? I feel like this amp has soo many features, why not this?

 

[GreyArea]

If you want to be able to amp your mp3 player you need to have an analogue input (RCA).
If you want to be able to listen to your computer audio with high sound quality, in your case, you need S/PDIF CoAxial input.
 
So, you can look for a DAC/Headphone amp that has both those functions.
 
TBH, as soon as you get used to listening to high quality audio through a nice headphone amp with a nice DAC, you won't want to go back to listening to your mp3 player.
You'll end up only using it when you're away from your rig.
 
If you really need both functions, maybe you could check these out:
(They all have both CoAx and RCA input)
 
Audio-GD Fun
http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/FUN/FUNEN.htm
 
NuForce HDP
http://www.nuforce.com/hp/products/iconhdp/index.php
 
How does that sound?

 

[Elluzion]

Quote:

If you want to be able to amp your mp3 player you need to have an analogue input (RCA).
If you want to be able to listen to your computer audio with high sound quality, in your case, you need S/PDIF CoAxial input.
 
So, you can look for a DAC/Headphone amp that has both those functions.
 
TBH, as soon as you get used to listening to high quality audio through a nice headphone amp with a nice DAC, you won't want to go back to listening to your mp3 player.
You'll end up only using it when you're away from your rig.
 
If you really need both functions, maybe you could check these out:
(They all have both CoAx and RCA input)
 
Audio-GD Fun
http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/FUN/FUNEN.htm
 
NuForce HDP
http://www.nuforce.com/hp/products/iconhdp/index.php
 
How does that sound?

 
I thought thatt he Red and White "Analog" spots on the D100 would be where you would make that conversion, I don't understand how it is different from the Fun and the HDP, the D100 has more inputs. I think that I wont worry too much about amping my MP3 player.
 
Edit: So I found out that the D100 has analog out, but not in, and the other 2 you posted have analog in. I understand now hahaha. What is the AES/EBU in on the D100? here is a picture: Could you amp through there?

 
in this picture, what would the Red and White analog out be used for? what would the XLR be used for? and is it on the samee quality par as the Red and white analog
 
and also is SPDIF considered "coax" and the OPT considered "optical" with optical being the fastest method?
 
this is what my computer says I have:

• 1 x coaxial S/PDIF Out connector
• 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector

 

[Yoga Flame]

AES/EBU is another digital input like S/PDIF. It's mainly used in pro audio only.
 
And yeah, the analog out is for connecting to a separate amp, or to active speakers. Note that the RCA output has fixed volume not affected by the knob in the front. It is also always on, even if you plug your headphones in.
 

 

[Elluzion]

Quote:

AES/EBU is another digital input like S/PDIF. It's mainly used in pro audio only.
 
And yeah, the analog out is for connecting to a separate amp, or to active speakers. Note that the RCA output has fixed volume not affected by the knob in the front. It is also always on, even if you plug your headphones in.
 

Okay cool.
 
Well wouldn't that work perfectly for me to use the DAC/AMP for my Audioengine A5 speakers and my Headphones simultaneously (in a way)
 
And on my A5's it has a RED and a WHITE that say "line out", is that what would connect to the Analog RED and WHITE?

 

[Yoga Flame]

Quote:

and also is SPDIF considered "coax" and the OPT considered "optical" with optical being the fastest method?
 
this is what my computer says I have:

• 1 x coaxial S/PDIF Out connector
• 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector

Technically S/PDIF is a data format that can be carried over coaxial or optical. But sometimes manufacturers label only the coax jack as SPDIF. They are both capable of the same speeds.
 
Many people say that coaxial sounds better. Optical is especially useful if your soundcard has electrical problems (like buzzing sounds or clicks/pops), because the electricity can't cross over the optical cable to the DAC, while it can for coaxial. But if you don't have such problems, then just try both and see which one you like better. I have only tried optical myself, and it sounds great to me.

 

[Yoga Flame]

I forgot to address this...
 
Quote:

what would the XLR be used for? and is it on the samee quality par as the Red and white analog
 

 
The XLR outputs are for balanced audio signals. It's a pretty technical topic.
For more information see:
http://www.headphone.com/learning-center/balanced-drive-faq.php
 
Going balanced is supposed to improve the sound quite a bit. But you will need a balanced DAC, a balanced amp, and a balanced headphone cable. So it can cost a lot. I haven't tried it myself but would like to eventually, which is one reason why I got the Yulong DAC.
 
Quote:

And on my A5's it has a RED and a WHITE that say "line out", is that what would connect to the Analog RED and WHITE?

I think the A5's line out is for connecting to a subwoofer. The DAC's line out should go into the A5's audio in jack. Using something like this:

 

[GreyArea]

So, If I'm right, to sum up:
 
You can plug your PC into the Yulong with CoAxial S/PDIF or Optical S/PDIF (you've got both so see which one's more convenient or sounds better).
You can plug any other amp into the Yulong via RCA to use it as a DAC with the above connection. This is how you'd plug your monitors in or another headphone amp, using the white and red RCA output.
You can plug your IEMs into the Yulong with a 1/8'' to 1/4'' adapter to use it as a DAC/Headphone amp.
You do have the option of going balanced in the future.
You can listen to your IEMs and Monitors at the same time, unplug or turn off whichever you don't want to listen to.
 
You can't plug your mp3 player or any other source into the Yulong to use it as a headphone amp.
You can't use the RCA red and white on your A5s to produce extra functionality on the Yulong. Those outputs are just for stringing other amps or active speakers like more A5s or active subs.

 

[Elluzion]

Quote:

So, If I'm right, to sum up:
 
You can plug your PC into the Yulong with CoAxial S/PDIF or Optical S/PDIF (you've got both so see which one's more convenient or sounds better).
You can plug any other amp into the Yulong via RCA to use it as a DAC with the above connection. This is how you'd plug your monitors in or another headphone amp, using the white and red RCA output.
You can plug your IEMs into the Yulong with a 1/8'' to 1/4'' adapter to use it as a DAC/Headphone amp.
You do have the option of going balanced in the future.
You can listen to your IEMs and Monitors at the same time, unplug or turn off whichever you don't want to listen to.
 
You can't plug your mp3 player or any other source into the Yulong to use it as a headphone amp.
You can't use the RCA red and white on your A5s to produce extra functionality on the Yulong. Those outputs are just for stringing other amps or active speakers like more A5s or active subs.

Thanks for the sum up! only 1 part confuses me, (so if i got another amp, i would plug my Yulong in the Red and White of the other amp, and plug my headphones into the new amp correct?)
 
I can't wait to get this! need more $ atm though!
 
oh and any ideas on how to configure my media player (mediajukebox) to make sure the AWISO settings or whatever are correct and working once I get the DAC?

 

[olegausany]

In order to use WASAPI output you will need to switch either to Foobar 2000 (free) or JRiver Media Center (paid) I have both on my PC but Media Center sounds better for me but i use dedicated sound card instead of built-in one

 

[GreyArea]

Quote:

Thanks for the sum up! only 1 part confuses me, (so if i got another amp, i would plug my Yulong in the Red and White of the other amp, and plug my headphones into the new amp correct?)
 
I can't wait to get this! need more $ atm though!
 
oh and any ideas on how to configure my media player (mediajukebox) to make sure the AWISO settings or whatever are correct and working once I get the DAC?

Yep, you'd connect the analogue output RCA red and white of the Yuloong to the analogue input RCA red and white of the headphone amp and then use the 1/4'' jack on the headphone amp for your headphones and IEMs.


Quote:

In order to use WASAPI output you will need to switch either to Foobar 2000 (free) or JRiver Media Center (paid) I have both on my PC but Media Center sounds better for me but i use dedicated sound card instead of built-in one

 
Yeah, you'll need to switch then. It'll be worth it though, especially if you've got an oldish computer or a low quality sound card.
 
Olegausany, I find it very interesting that you've found JRiver Media Centre to sound better than Foobar.
Maybe I should give it a go.

 

[Elluzion]

Ok Thanks!
 
Yeah I loveeee Jrivemediajukebox or whatever it is called, the media center is basically the same thing haha.
 
What if I got the pico amp? then i wouldn't be able to hook my speakers up, correct? and then also dac/amping my j3 through headphone out wouldn't be that good eh?
 
What do you guys think?

 

[GreyArea]

Well, headamp do several pico amps and dacs.
http://www.headamp.com/pico/index.htm
 
If you bought a pico amp or a pico amp/dac, you wouldn't have the same connectivity options as with a desktop solution.
With the amp, for example, it only has one input and one output. So you can only listen to one thing at a time, your headphones or your speakers, not both.
You can plug your speakers up using a standard 1/8'' jack to jack male/male cable with one of the adapters I mentioned earlier.
There'd be not point though because your speakers already have an amp, to get better performance out of those you need a DAC, not an amp.
You headphones would benefit from being amped properly so there'd probably be a benefit there.
 
 
Quote:

and then also dac/amping my j3 through headphone out wouldn't be that good eh?

Well, as I (and Yoga Flame) said earlier, the j3 already has a dac and an amp. They're probably not great quality. The sound might benefit from additional amping if your headphones are hard to drive, otherwise, it'd probably be better to spend the money upgrading your desktop  system because you're more likely to hear the differences there.

 

[Elluzion]

Quote:

Well, headamp do several pico amps and dacs.
http://www.headamp.com/pico/index.htm
 
If you bought a pico amp or a pico amp/dac, you wouldn't have the same connectivity options as with a desktop solution.
With the amp, for example, it only has one input and one output. So you can only listen to one thing at a time, your headphones or your speakers, not both.
You can plug your speakers up using a standard 1/8'' jack to jack male/male cable with one of the adapters I mentioned earlier.
There'd be not point though because your speakers already have an amp, to get better performance out of those you need a DAC, not an amp.
You headphones would benefit from being amped properly so there'd probably be a benefit there.
 
 
Quote:

and then also dac/amping my j3 through headphone out wouldn't be that good eh?

Well, as I (and Yoga Flame) said earlier, the j3 already has a dac and an amp. They're probably not great quality. The sound might benefit from additional amping if your headphones are hard to drive, otherwise, it'd probably be better to spend the money upgrading your desktop  system because you're more likely to hear the differences there.

GreyArea,
 
Thank you soo much for all the information you have contributed to this thread. It means a lot to me that you have come back and have continued to be helpful. So again, thank you!
 
I think you are right, I feel that the desktop rig would be a better one to upgrade at the moment because my J3 + JH5's are a pretty portable rig, and this way with the D100 I can hook up my speakers, headphones, future full sized headphones, and still get the BEST sound from my computer.
 
<3